The latest news on Chapin Estate, the super-upscale residential enclave, is coming from a publication that rarely, if ever, chooses Sullivan County as a subject.

The latest news on Chapin Estate, the super-upscale residential enclave, is coming from a publication that rarely, if ever, chooses Sullivan County as a subject.

Haute Living, a magazine that writes about dwelling for the rich and famous from New York to Los Angeles, featured the gated Bethel community in a story this month.

Described as scenic and only two hours north of New York City, the magazine quotes a Chapin official in pointing out that the development is thriving while others in Sullivan are bogged down by the ailing market.

Jeff Loholt, director of sales and marketing, told the magazine, "While other subdivisions in the region have either closed shop or gone dormant, our community continues to grow."

The magazine story adds that Chapin has announced a "newly released neighborhood of 5+ acre secluded, wooded home sites bordering a nature preserve of more than 13,000 acres. For as little as $150,000, buyers can take advantage of a five-year build time to design and begin construction of their weekend getaway or future retirement home."

It also touts the development's location, near the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts and the Monticello Motor Club, a racetrack and playground for the rich. But the story mostly concentrates on Chapin's pristine, mountain setting, which is the No. 1 reason people buy homes here, according to Sullivan County's own second-home owner survey — no matter if you're buying a bungalow or a mansion in the woods.

Adam Bosch

The Town of Fallsburg has sold the former Fallsburg Central School on Laurel Avenue for $100,000 to a group that wants to turn it into a medical complex.